2015 PEUGEOT 308 GT DIESEL

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Peugeot 306 S16 and GTI were terrific cars and attracted cult status after their respective deaths around a decade ago. Since then, the 307 and 308 have been pretty dull cars. Peugeot has been wise to avoid soiling the 306’s reputation with warm or hot versions of either successor.

The new 308 is an altogether different proposition – an excellent base to start from and some real money behind a program that has given us the 308 GT.

The Peugeot 308 GT can be had with either petrol or diesel engines, the former with a six-speed manual, the latter with a traditional automatic.

For $41,990 ($1000 less than the diesel), the GT revels in a new aero and suspension spec, sat-nav, rear view camera and parking sensors, park assist, 9.7-inch info screen, cruise control, blind spot monitoring, dual-zone climate control, massage function for front seats, red-stitched trim, keyless entry and go, auto headlights and wipers, LED headlights, LED interior mood lighting and exterior lighting.

Options include $2500 for leather trim and $990 metallic paint.

The GT petrol lands at exactly the same price as a basic Volkswagen Golf GTi manual, so Peugeot in Australia is making no secret of its target.

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The 308 won’t set hearts a-flutter, its design a sharper, less bulbous example of the recent Peugeot family look. The 18-inch alloys fill the arches and the subtle skirts-and-spoiler additions are good.

The LED headlights look great at night and the scrolling indicator lights are a nice, sophisticated touch, shared with upmarket cars like the Audi TT.

The front seats are a fantastic example of the breed, holding you in but never poking or prodding your ribs. The tiny steering wheel setup that debuted on the 208 with the same high set dashboard that you’re meant to look at over the wheel rather than through.

For some drivers the wheel intersects the lower sections of the dials, so the tacho is anti-clockwise (slightly frightening in a manual if you forget) and the cramped speedo reads to 250 km/h making it a bit difficult to read. The LCD nestled between the dials sits slightly too low so it really takes a while to get the ideal driving position.

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Everything is really well put together and, like the 208 and 2008, is made from excellent materials. It’s no avantgarde masterpiece but a good, clean design with nice textures to boot. There isn’t an abundance of storage – there’s only one drink holder up front, for instance – but most will be happy with the odds-and-ends storage. The big boot will keep most people happy too.

There’s a mix of must-have and nice-to-have safety features.

Six airbags, ABS, traction and stability controls, emergency brake assist and brake force distribution, blind spot monitoring, collision alert and braking and hill start assist bring a total of five ANCAP stars.

The 9.7-inch touchscreen doesn’t just run the stereo and car functions, it runs everything but the hazard lights and demisters. Down either side of the screen are buttons that get you into the music, air conditioning, satellite navigation and favourites

It’s perilously close to being really good, but falls short for two very different reasons.

The “soft” buttons down either side have no physical definition so you don’t know what you’re pressing, meaning you have to take your eyes off the road. And because most of the functions are things you do while you’re driving (changing temperatures, media types etc.), that’s potentially dangerous. The screen is also a little slow on the uptake, meaning more time with eyes off the road.

Having said that, it’s streets ahead of the 208’s terrible software which is one of the most baffling, infuriating interfaces ever designed – and that’s up against some pretty stiff competition.

The six-speaker stereo puts out good clear sound, has two USB inputs and will talk via Bluetooth as well.

ENGINE / TRANSMISSION
The petrol GT packs a 1.6-litre turbo four with 151 kW and 285 Nm of torque. With a power figure 11 kW higher than the GT diesel, the petrol lops a second off the dash to 100 km/h, coming in at 7.5 seconds. The substantial torque deficit is made up for with a 140 kg lighter kerb weight of this 308 compared with the previous one, so in-gear acceleration is pretty handy if not as effortless.

Peugeot claims 5.7 litres per 100km in the combined cycled but that didn’t happen, not by a long shot – we saw 9.7 L/100km.

DRIVING
Despite the same GT monicker, the characters of the petrol and diesel are hugely different. The diesel is smooth and fast whereas the petrol is a lot more lively in the chassis, especially if you like a bit of lift-off oversteer.

The nose is a proper corner-sniffer, turning in with balance that gets better as you work out the correlation between the tiny wheel and how little movement you really need – you drive the 308 with your wrists.

The manual shifter is a little long, but the throw itself is slick if, again, a bit further than ideal – French cars have always features a long shifter to keep your hand nearer the wheel.

None of the strong performance comes at the expense of refinement either in the noise or ride departments. The balance between ride and handling is the hallmark of the classic 306 and here the 308 has rediscovered that long-lost mojo. Passengers will enjoy the drive as much as the driver, with comfortable seats, plenty of legroom and a good view out.

It isn’t a hot hatch, though. It will melt into understeer – unless you’re brutal with the lift of the right foot – and the lack of power and chassis sharpness compared to the similarly-priced Golf is glaring. However, when compared with competition from Japan in the form of the Mazda3 XD, the 308 is hands-down much better in either petrol or diesel forms.

SUMMING UP 4.0/5
There’s a lot more to come from this chassis, so the missing I in GTI is entirely justified but no deal-breaker. There’s more to come from this chassis and we know the engine has a lot more in it from the RCZ-R’s 199 kW tune.

The positioning of the Peugeot 308 GT is an interesting choice – it’s close to that of Golf GTI but doesn’t match its character, while blitzing the equipment list. The good press surrounding the whole range is entirely justified and the current range-topper takes the fight to both Germany and Japan while offering a credible alternative no longer restricted to Francophiles.

LIKES: Brisk performance, good chassis balance, loaded with gear
DISLIKES: Wacky dashboard, price marginal, infotainment screen a bit slow

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